Difficulties due to climate are severe in Sicily. Outside the North, and especially in the Deep South, the summer drought of Italy's Mediterranean climate begins to take its toll. Between May and September, just at the time when crops need to flourish, rain rarely falls. In Sicily, the summer drought is at its most extreme. By August, the land is parched, the rivers shrivelled. Many rivers don't even make it to the sea. In this harsh environment, for many years both the climate and the lie of the land have limited traditional Sicilian agriculture to a few crops, like olives and grapes, that can cope with low rainfall.

But there are compensations. Since Sicily is so far south and its weather so warm, unlike its northern competitors, no money need be spent on heating the greenhouses owned by market gardeners.

There is only a limited amount of flat land. Most farming has to contend with steep slopes, soil erosion and stony ground.

Remoteness

Trapani province is only 200 km from Africa, but 1400 km from Milan and 2800 km from Brussels. It's 'on the very edge of Europe'.

Sicily is a place where ancient Europe still survives, and so do ancient ways. The bureaucracy in everyday life is massive. The Mafia is active. Small wonder that with these physical and social factors against it, the island has always found it difficult to attract economic development, and often impossible to hold on to its people.

Employment options are limited. Unemployment in the town of Trapani stands at 25%. In this part of Sicily, people often have to work in conditions that would normally be rated as intolerable. Some of the toughest jobs in the Trapani area are at the local salt pans, where the intense power of the Sicilian sun is used to evaporate salt from sea water. It's an eight-hour day. The temperatures in August often reach 40°C.

Being an island presents other obstacles to progress. Some farmers find that having to ship goods across the Strait of Messina doubles their overall transportation costs.

Working the land

Most farming is still labour-intensive. Only 30 years ago labourers were hired by the day. Now jobs are offered on a longer-term basis, but pay is low - £2.85 per hour in 1998 - and requires commitment and a passion for the land.

Most workers supplement their income with a secondary activity, especially when there's no work in the fields.

Some of the bigger landowners have started to tackle the issues of modernising and cutting costs. Mechanisation, extending field sizes, new planting and training of rivers, and systems for extensive irrigation have all been introduced.

Change in the present

The sudden shock of meeting the modern world has hit the Sicilian countryside hard. The proportion of rural dwellers has dropped from 50% to 20% of the total population. What used to be everyday sights in the countryside are now a rarity. In most of Europe, the modernisation of the rural economy saw a migration of people to the towns and a build-up of industry. Not so in western Sicily. The towns of the area, like Trapani, have been unable to coax in modern development. They are isolated, some would say too old-fashioned, too bureaucratic. And there is the feeling, everywhere in Sicily, that the Mafia might mess up any new economic development.

Over the last two decades, Trapani's fishing industry has been in steep decline. The harbour used to support 20,000 jobs; the figure is now nearer 4000. The catch has been greatly reduced by EU regulations brought in to stop over-fishing.

Some entrepreneurs have diversified away from traditional crops: for example, into house plants supplying an international market.

Social and cultural life even in remote areas is rich and highly valued. Family life is important, as is meeting friends and spending time with them. Tradition and continuity with established ways of working are important. Many people are anxious about mechanisation, as it can put people out of work and no alternative employment exists. This can split up families by forcing wage earners to migrate.